AN: I know this chapter is short; it’s only just over 1,000 words. But the reviews I got from ch.17 inspired me and I decided that a short chapter posted quickly would be better than waiting until I felt I had finished the chapter at a longer length with a longer wait to go with it. I hope you enjoy it, please read and review!

When Emily woke up the food she had asked for had already been delivered. The elves must have been very quiet, to have set the table so nicely with so much food and yet not have waken either of them. Thinking about Damien, Emily looked at him. He was still sleeping, one of his arms wrapped around her, holding her to him as he slept. They slept soundly through the night, meaning that Emily was still on his chest as they lay together on the couch. Emily smiled. She couldn’t help thinking how nice it was to have a friend who cared about her so much. Deep down she knew that he cared for Emily, and that it might not be the same if Damien realized that Emily was Hermione. Thinking of Damien as Draco though, she realized how close they had gotten in real life. Draco and Hermione were almost friends. They had their fights and bickering still, but since he figured out that she was sick he had been rather tolerable. Damien began to stir. Emily smiled down at him as he opened his eyes.

“Happy Christmas Damien” she said softly. He smiled up at her.

“Happy Christmas Emily” he replied. They sat up together, so that neither would go tumbling to the ground. Once they were sitting upright next to each other on the couch Damien turned to Emily again.

“I’m just wondering…” he hesitated, nervous to voice his thoughts.

“Wondering what?” Emily asked, encouraging him to go on.

“I was just wondering if yesterday has to fall under the category of a silly tradition.” Emily just looked at him, completely at a loss as to what he was talking about. “I mean, I’m not saying that I asked the room to do what it did, ‘cause I didn’t, but I don’t see why the room has to be wrong.” Emily still looked at him blankly, clearly perplexed. “I mean to say, I liked the silly tradition of mistletoe. I was just wondering if…if it had to remain a silly tradition, or if it could actually mean something.” Enlightenment came to Emily, but her voice did not. For several minutes she just stared at him. “Please say something.”

“Well, I’m just coming up against one moral wall in my mind.” She admitted.

“And what wall might that be?”

“Well, it’s just that you don’t know who I am, and I’m not ready to tell you just yet.”

“Yes, I’ve accepted that, what’s the issue?”

“I’m, I mean the real me, isn’t someone you would want to be kissing. I know who you are, so I would be making the choice to be with you, for who you really are, but you. You might think you want this now, but later, when or if you find out who I really am, you might be totally disgusted. I would hate to take that free choice away from you. You should be allowed to know who you are choosing to kiss, and I don’t think you would choose me.” It was Damien’s turn to stare at her.

“But I want to make this choice. I know who I am, and I know the type of people in this school. There is no one in this school that you could turn out to be that I would be completely horrified to have been with. I am making this choice. Now I’m just wondering what choice you are going to make, since you do know who I am, I imagine it’s a harder choice for you than me. You don’t have the option to fantasize that I’m some amazing guy you’ve never noticed in the hallways before. You know exactly who I really am and you have to choose me with that, or maybe even in spite of that, considering your first reaction at the ball.” Damien then waited patiently while Emily sat down at the table to think.

There were so many things to consider. On a basic level, there was the fact that they weren’t at all like that in real life. Also there was the fact that it was completely wrong. He was completely wrong for her. And yet she’d been spending lots of time with him lately, knowing it was wrong. Also there was the fact that she still felt like she would be taking a certain amount of choice from him, but she just wasn’t ready to tell him who she really was. She liked Emily; she almost needed the freedom Emily had, considering her real-life situation. But on that note, she was dying. She knew she was going to die; there was nothing that anyone could do for her. Wasn’t “Fall in love” number 20 on her list? Last night she had been able to, without even thinking about it, check number 2 off her list: “Kiss a guy”. She’d also checked the second half of number 11, since she’d finally opted to wear her lacy thong and bra underneath her dress. She decided that since he’d already seen her in them, it wouldn’t matter if he could see the straps and recognized what she was wearing. She needed to live life to the fullest and Damien, or the illusion that Damien provided, might be her only chance at any form of love before she died. She stood up and turned to face Damien. She smiled. He gave a weak smile back, unsure of the outcome of her deep thoughts.

“I would love it if that were to mean more than just the fulfillment of a silly tradition.” Damien smiled genuinely.

“Does that mean I can kiss you now?” He asked, Emily grinned, a little nervous.

“Yes, it does.” Damien closed the gap between them. He smiled sweetly at her and brushed her hair away from her face. He first kissed her forehead. He then lowered his head just enough and their lips made contact for the second time. It wasn’t long, and it wasn’t passionate, but it was a start. When he pulled away they both smiled at each other and then sat down for breakfast, ready to enjoy Christmas Day together and prepared to savor every minute of it.

AN: Please read and review, it is because of the reviews I got from the last chapter that I decided to post this mini-chapter so quickly, to sedate those who say they love it. I hope this chapter is happily received, even at its short length.